Zoophobia, or animal phobia, is the irrational fear or aversion towards animals (excluding humans). Zoophobia is the general negative reaction to animals, but it is usually divided into many subgroups, each being of a specific type of zoophobia. Although zoophobia as a whole is quite rare, types of the fear are common.[1] As mentioned before by Sigmund Freud, an animal phobia is one of the most frequent psychoneurotic diseases among children.[2] Zoophobia is almost never towards mammals, but instead towards non-mammalia creatures. A list of common zoophobias is shown below.
Ailurophobia | fear of cats | |
Arachnophobia | fear of arachnids | |
Batrachophobia | fear of amphibians | |
Chiroptophobia | fear of bats | |
Cynophobia | fear of dogs | |
Entomophobia | fear of insects | |
Equinophobia | fear of horses | |
Ichthyophobia | fear of fish | |
Katsaridaphobia | fear of cockroaches | |
Lepidopterophobia | fear of butterflies and/or moths | |
Melissophobia | fear of bees | |
Molluscophobia | fear of snails and slugs | |
Musophobia | fear of mice and rats | |
Ophidiophobia | fear of snakes | |
Ornithophobia | fear of birds | |
Ostraconophobia | fear of shellfish | |
Pachydermophobia | fear of elephants | |
Ranidaphobia | fear of frogs | |
Scoliodentosaurophobia | fear of lizards, geckos | |
Vermiphobia | fear of worms |